


convenient inconveniences

by lbarnes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 06:56:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10657287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lbarnes/pseuds/lbarnes
Summary: “Why’re you working out here instead of…” Shiro shrugs, “in your room?”Matt’s expression turns slightly annoyed, and Shiro worries he’s asked the wrong thing, and then Matt says, “My wonderful roommate kicked me out so he could have sex with his girlfriend.”





	convenient inconveniences

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LittleMusician](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMusician/gifts).



The first time they meet, Shiro’s clothes are drenched.

He’s walking back to his dorm after getting caught in the rain, and that’s when he sees his neighbor, Matt, he knows his name, he’s seen him around before. That’s when Shiro seems him sitting there, on the ground, with his books sprawled out and a pen in his mouth. He has his headphones in, and Shiro isn’t about to interrupt him, even if he is curious as to why Matt’s using the hallway as a study place rather than his dorm, but then Matt looks up, as if he could feel Shiro’s eyes on him.

A smile fills Matt’s face as he takes out one of his headphones, whereas Shiro shuffles awkwardly, hand going up to his hair and then back down, finally to be shoved in the pocket of his sweater, which is still wet. “Um,” Shiro stammers, not sure what he’s supposed to say now. S _orry I stopped to stare at you?_

Luckily, Matt talking before Shiro needs to come up with anything. “You’re Shiro, right?”

Shiro nods. “Uh, yeah.”

To his surprise, Matt stands up then, and he actually _holds out his hand_. “Nice to meet you, I’m Matt,” Matt says, and Shiro takes his hand, staring, unblinking. “I’m surprised we haven't met sooner, being next door neighbors and all.”

Shiro stares at him for a moment, blanking on what to say, until he finally manages to get out, “Different schedules, I guess.”

Matt nods in agreement. “Yeah, probably. College keeps you busy.”

Shiro nods back, a silence forming, and because he doesn't want things to feel more awkward than they already do, he gestures towards the books scattered over the floor. “Why’re you working out here instead of…” Shiro shrugs, “in your room?”

Matt’s expression turns slightly annoyed, and Shiro worries he’s asked the wrong thing, and then Matt says, “My _wonderful_ roommate kicked me out so he could have sex with his girlfriend.”

“That sucks,” Shiro replies, and it’s the first thing that’s come naturally since this conversation started.  

“Yeah,” Matt agrees with a humorless chuckle. “The hallway’s not too bad,” Matt says, and then he’s grinning. “I’ve only tripped two people. One was an accident.”

Shiro raises an eyebrow, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. “What was the other?”

“Let’s call it fate,” Matt says, and Shiro finds himself laughing quietly.

“Do you, uh—” he starts to ask if Matt wants to do his work in his room until he’s allowed back in his own dorm, but then the door behind Matt opens and a girl walks out.

She waves at Matt, and Matt waves back before bringing his attention back to Shiro.

“I guess I’m not trapped outside anymore,” Matt says, and Shiro nods.

“Yeah, that’s good.” He’s not sure why, but he’s almost disappointed. “I guess I’ll see you around?” Shiro says, even though he kind of doubts he will. They’ve been neighbors for over a year and this is the first time they’ve met. Who knows when they’ll run into each other again.

Matt grins. “I hope so,” and then he’s turning around to pick up his books, and he’s opening the door to his room, leaving Shiro to stand, a little stunned, in the hallway, still soaking wet.

 

 

 

Shiro goes through his life like he usually does, by stuffing his face in school work and relying on coffee to pass his classes.

He doesn't see Matt again, which isn’t a surprise, but he still finds himself wondering what he’s up to.

Shiro sighs at himself every time Matt pops into his mind. They’ve talked a grand total of _one time_ and for some reason Shiro can’t push him from his mind. At least, not completely.

He blames it on the fact that Matt’s cute.

 

 

 

A month goes by, and his mysterious next door neighbor appears less and less in his thoughts. That is, until Shiro sees him from down the hall, with his books surrounding him, just like he’d been sitting before.

Shiro has half the mind to turn around and come back later, but that’s completely ridiculous. There’s no reason to _hide_ from Matt.

He can probably slide into his room without disturbing him. Unlike Shiro, he doubts Matt has spent the last month replaying their encounter in his mind.

He’s got his hand on the doorknob, seconds from opening the door, when he hears, “Shiro?” from his side. Well, there goes the plan.

His hand freezes, and then it drops to his side as he turns around, facing Matt with a smile that’s maybe a little bit strained. “Matt, hey—did you get kicked out again?”

“Nah, I just decided that I’d rather work in the hallway than my room,” Matt says casually, “I love getting distracted every ten minutes.”

For a second, Shiro stares at him blankly, and then he finds himself smiling, no longer strained, and shaking his head with a chuckle. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s great. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t love it.”

Matt grins. “Well, there is one perk to getting kicked out.”

Shiro raises a curious eyebrow. “Oh? What’s that?”

“I get to see you.”

Shiro feels his cheeks heat up, and he hopes he isn’t blushing, even though he knows hoping is pointless. He’s almost certainly blushing.

Shiro stumbles over a few words before finally getting out, “Aren’t I just another distraction?”

“Yeah,” Matt agrees, and then his grin returns, “but a good distraction.”

Is Matt flirting with him? It kind of sounds like Matt is flirting with him, not that Shiro has any experience with flirting. Matt’s probably just being nice. He’s probably like this with everyone he meets.

Shiro opens his mouth to respond but nothing comes out, and then, because he doesn’t want to stand there with his mouth hanging open, waiting for some kind of response to come to him, he asks, “Do you want to come inside?” without thinking about the consequences.

The consequences being: spending time with Matt.

“Seriously?” Matt asks, and Shiro ignores the nervous feel that sends through his stomach. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to ask someone he’s only talked to twice.

He nods, and then Matt is picking up all his books and jumping up from his spot on the ground. “I thought you’d never ask.”

 

 

 

Matt, Shiro finds out quickly, is good with words. Every time Shiro thinks the conversation is going to die down, get replaced by silence, Matt starts a new topic, or asks a new question.

“So, what’s your favorite color?” Matt asks once he’s exhausted all the university related questions.

Shiro’s lip pulls up at the question. “Really? That’s what you want to know?”

Matt sits up so he can gasp at Shiro. “Of course I want to know! What happens if I’m talking to someone about you, and they’re like ‘oh yeah, but do you know his favorite color?’ and I’ll have to say no, because you never told me.”

Shiro wants to tell Matt how _ridiculous_ that is, but he's too caught up thinking about the ‘what happens if I’m talking to someone about you?’ part.

Shiro starts to say something, and then stops, and then starts again, this time actually managing to get the words out. “I highly doubt anyone is going to make you tell them my favorite color.”

Matt shrugs, unconvinced. “You never know.”

Shiro shakes his head in disbelief, but he can’t help himself from smiling. “Black.”

“That’s so boring!” Matt responds immediately, and for some reason, Shiro’s smile only grows. Maybe it’s his enthusiasm on something as simple as colors, or his genuine interest in meaningless details about Shiro’s life.

“Okay, then what’s yours?”

“Orange.”

“Orange?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Matt starts, like he was waiting for Shiro to ask. “No one ever says orange is their favorite color. Like, whenever I ask someone they’re also like ‘oh, green, or blue, or purple’ but never orange—”

“So you like it because it’s left out?” Shiro asks.

Matt grins. “I also look good in it.”

 _You probably look good in every color_ , Shiro thinks, but doesn’t say.

They talk about other things, their classes, their hobbies, their favorite shows. Shiro finds himself relaxing at some point during the conversation, getting used to Matt’s presence, his playful energy. It’s nice, which is kind of annoying, because Shiro doesn’t have time for a crush.

 

 

 

Shiro expects another month to pass before he sees Matt again, but to his surprise, it doesn’t even take a whole twenty four hours. He’s walking through the hall, leaving for class when he hears “Shiro!” from behind.

Shiro turns around to see Matt running towards him, and his face twists in a sort of confusion. “Uh, hey?” he asks, like he’s not sure what Matt is doing here, despite this being his hallway too.

“Hey,” Matt says back, smile filling his face as he slows down, reaching Shiro.

Shiro starts walking again, and Matt walks in step with him.

“So,” Shiro starts, “where are you headed?”

“Coffee,” replies Matt instantly, and Shiro can’t help but tear his eyes from the sight in front of him to look at Matt.

His hairs ruffled like he just woke up, and there’s dark circles under his eyes, and _of course_ he still looks good.

“Did you just wake up?” Shiro asks, and for a moment Matt almost looks guilty, like Shiro isn't supposed to know that.

“What gave it away?”

“The hair.”

Matt runs a hand through his hair, brushing it out with his fingers. “How’s it look now?”

“Not much better,” Shiro says honestly, and then, and he has no idea how the words leave his mouth, he’s reassuring Matt with, “You don’t look bad though.”

Matt grins, nudging Shiro as they walk. “You don’t look bad either.”

Shiro can’t even pretend that he doesn’t blush. He can feel it on his cheeks.

He looks away, forcing his eyes to stay in front of him and _not_ on Matt, who’s started telling some story about his roommate, completely oblivious to how his compliment affected Shiro.

Shiro doesn’t say much for the rest of the walk, mostly listening and nodding. He likes that Matt doesn’t expect him to contribute much to the conversation, that he’s okay just to be heard.

They’re a few minutes from Shiro’s class when he interrupts Matt to ask, “Aren’t you supposed to be getting coffee?”

Matt tilts his head to the side, smiling playfully. “Trying to get rid of me?”

Shiro rolls his eyes. “ _No_ , I just don’t want you to go out of your way for me.”

Matt shrugs. “I need the exercise.”

Shiro shakes his head like he knows that’s an obvious lie but doesn’t say anything in return, and Matt continues talking until they reach Shiro’s class.

“Thanks for walking me to class,” Shiro says, eyes shifting between Matt and their surroundings.

“Thanks for letting me,” Matt replies, smile wide.

Shiro laughs in a sort of awed disbelief, his smile contagious. “So, uh… I’ll see you… around.”

Matt grins, repeating the same words he said last time. “I hope so.”

 

 

 

Matt shows up the next morning, and the next, and the next, and each time he walks Shiro to class, each time he says he doesn't mind, and each time Shiro gets a little more used to it.

Two weeks of this routine pass, and Shiro finds himself opening up, actually engaging in the conversation more than a few nods and a question every now and then. When Matt tells a story, Shiro adds his own commentary, his own experiences.

And today, Shiro decides to wait next to Matt’s door instead of heading out and letting Matt catch up to him like he’s been doing until now. It feels like a enough of a routine that he can count of Matt showing up.

He’s not waiting long before the door swings open, and Matt stops abruptly at the sight of Shiro, leaning against the wall instead of half way through the hall like usual.

Matt’s lip pulls up. “You waited for me?”

Shiro shrugs. “Didn’t think it was fair to make you run after me every time.”

Matt’s smile grows wider as they start walking, and he nudges Shiro. “That’s sweet.”

 

 

 

Walking together isn’t the only routine that’s formed between them. Matt’s been coming over whenever he gets kicked out of his room, which happens at least once a week. Sometimes Shiro comes home to find Matt camped out in front of his door, and other times Shiro’s already there and all Matt has to do is knock.

They usually spend the time working on homework, but sometimes their conversation veers elsewhere, and the homework is forgotten.

It’s easy to forget about homework when he’s with Matt.

“My sister would probably know the answer to these questions,” Matt says in the middle of studying, and it’s not the first time Matt’s talked about his sister. He talks about her a lot, actually, his entire family. It’s obvious that he misses them.

Shiro closes the textbook he’s reading and turns around in his chair, so he’s facing Matt, who always acts like the bed is his own whenever he comes over. “I’m not as smart as your sister, but I could try and help?”

Matt’s smile is soft. “That’d be nifty.”

 

 

 

“Do you believe in aliens?” Matt asks one night, his head dangling off the bed, eyes fixated on the ceiling as if it were something interesting. The question comes out of nowhere, like so many of Matt’s questions do.

Shiro’s gaze moves from his homework to Matt, who’s eyes stay on the ceiling.

“Yeah, I do,” Shiro tells him.

“Do you think they’re green?” Matt asks in response, and the corner of Shiro’s mouth pulls up, half amused, half endeared.

“Maybe some of them are,” Shiro decides, “The universe is so big, I doubt there’s only one kind of alien out there."

Matt finally looks at him, and now he’s smiling. “Katie’s the one that convinced me aliens were real.”

“I’ve always believed.”

Matt’s hand moves on the bed, searching for something, and then he grabs hold of a piece of paper and starts crinkling it up, and Shiro knows the paper is coming his way before it leaves Matt’s hand.

Shiro throws it back. “Do you need help on your English homework?”

“Maybe,” Matt says, and Shiro takes that as a yes.

“Scoot over then.”

Matt moves so that his head is no longer hanging off the side of the bed, giving Shiro enough room to sit next to him.

They spend the next hour working without any distractions, well, _almost_ any distractions. Matt’s arm and thigh is pressed up against Shiro, and even though it’s such a casual way of touching, Shiro’s heart keeps jumping through mini hoops.

They fall into a silence eventually, Matt no longer needing Shiro’s help, both of them working on separate things, but neither of them moves. They work side by side, pressed up against each other, and it makes Shiro feel warm.

He finds himself looking at Matt every now and then, who looks increasingly tired each glance. Finally, when it looks like Matt might have dozed off, Shiro pokes his side.

“Urrrgghh,” Matt mumbles, and Shiro can’t help the small smile it brings to his face.

Shiro glances at the time on his phone. 11:43. “It’s getting late. Do you think your roommate is done with....?” He doesn’t have to finish that sentence.

“Too tired to move,” Matt mumbles, and it’s so quiet he hardly catches it.

Shiro considers his options: he could carry Matt to his room, poke him more until he wakes up enough to walk to his room, or just let him stay over.

“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” Shiro asks, and Matt’s only response is a nod.

Shiro moves their school work from the bed, setting it all on his desk. He’s not entirely sure what belongs to who, but they can figure that out in the morning.

He’s grabbing a pillow and a blanket from the bed so he can sleep on the floor when Matt finally moves, and then stops when he sees Shiro. “What’re you doing?” He asks, voice muffled with exhaustion.

“Making a bed on the floor,” Shiro responds in a whisper, because even though there’s no one else in the room besides them, he feels like he needs to be quiet.

“I can take the floor,” Matt offers, and he starts moving off the bed, but Shiro puts an arm on his shoulder, stopping him.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.”

Matt’s eyes find Shiro’s, and they’re only half open, but for a split second, Shiro swears they flicker to his lips.

He tears his eyes away, his stomach reacting with those annoying butterflies that he thought he’d left in high school. Apparently those don’t go away in college.

“Goodnight, Matt,” Shiro says once he’s turned the light off and made a makeshift bed on the floor.

Matt doesn’t reply, and Shiro assumes he’s already asleep.

 

 

 

 

The next few weeks feel… different. Matt still walks Shiro to class every day, and he still ends up on Shiro’s bed whenever he gets kicked out of his own room, but he seems off somehow. 

He averts his gaze, and he stumbles over his words, and sometimes he freezes when they’re walking and their arms brush. It’s not like Matt, and it’s starting to make Shiro worry. 

What if… Matt’s tired of Shiro, but he doesn't want to hurt his feelings? 

The thought sits uneasy in his stomach. In the past few months, Matt’s become an important part of his life. He likes having him around, and he doesn’t want that to change. 

But Shiro doesn’t say anything. He pretends like he doesn't notice, and when the class that Matt usually walks him to gets cancelled, he expects that to mean no walk for them.

He’s surprised, however, when Matt’s response is, “You should come get coffee with me!” 

Shiro smiles, hoping the shock doesn't show on his face. He’s having a hard time figuring Matt out lately. “Alright, yeah, sure.” 

The moment they start walking, Matt starts off on a story about one of his classes yesterday, and Shiro is content to walk by his side and listen. 

Maybe Matt’s just been stressed about school lately, and that’s why he’s been acting weird.

Shiro has himself convinced that’s all it is by the time they reach the coffee shop, but it doesn't take long for that to come crashing down. 

It happens when Matt’s pulling out his wallet to pay for the coffee, but Shiro shakes his head and says, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you.” 

“Oh, uh—” Matt starts to say, like he’s going to object, and then his wallet slips out of his hand and he’s rushing to the ground to get it. 

“Thanks,” Matt mumbles when he stands back up, avoiding Shiro’s gaze. 

So much for it only being stress.

 

 

 

“I don’t know what happened,” Shiro sighs into the phone, letting his head fall to his pillow. 

“So you guys were fine and then…?” Keith trails off on the other end of the phone. He’s probably not the best person to come to for advice, but right now Shiro just needs someone to talk to, and Keith (though he’s sure to make fun of him for having a crush, it’s only fair considering all the time Shiro’s done the same to him), is someone who’s always willing to listen. 

Shiro sighs  _ again _ . “I thought we were friends, but… I don’t know anymore. Maybe he got annoyed with me and he’s too nice to tell me that, so he’s pretending to be my friend even though he doesn’t want to be anymore.”

Keith actually snorts at that. Shiro glares, even though Keith can’t see him. “You’re probably reading it wrong. I’m not —you know I’m not good at this kinda stuff, but personally, if I didn’t want to be friends with someone anymore I wouldn’t walk them to class everyday. I’d like, make up some excuse about being busy.” 

That does make Shiro feel somewhat better, because even though Matt’s been acting strange, it’s not like they’ve been spending any less time together. Matt hasn’t been trying to avoid him or anything. And it’s not like he’s weird  _ all the time _ . Only when they’re close, or when Shiro compliments him, or— 

“Oh no,” Shiro groans, a realization hitting him. 

“What?” Keith asks, sounds slightly worried. 

“He knows I like him.”

“How do you know that?” 

Instead of answering him, Shiro continues with, “That’s why he’s been acting weird, because he knows I like him and he doesn’t feel the same and he only wants to be friends and he feels bad and doesn’t want to hurt my feelings.” 

The other end of the phone is silent for a while, and then Keith says, “That sucks.”

_ "That’s your response? _ ” Shiro asks, having expected Keith to at least  _ try _ and make him feel better.

“Well… I mean… it makes sense.” 

“Wow, thanks. I feel so much better.” 

“You could talk to him about it?” Keith suggests tentatively, “Tell him that it doesn’t have to be awkward or something.” 

Shiro considers that. He has no idea how that conversation would even start, but it’s not the worst idea in the world. Right now it’s all he’s got. 

“Yeah.... maybe you’re right.” 

“Of course I’m right,” Keith says, and Shiro can hear  _ his  _ grin. 

“I can’t believe I’m talking about this to a high schooler.” 

“The coolest high schooler.” 

“You wish.”  

 

 

 

Shiro starts to bring it up a few times, forms the words in his head, but every time it gets to the whole saying them out loud part, he comes up empty. It’s not an easy conversation to start. 

They’re sitting in his room currently, and they’re supposed to be studying, but Shiro keeps running through words over and over, trying to find the right ones, trying to find a way to explain to Matt that he can get over his feelings. Things don’t have to be weird between them. 

“Hey Matt,” Shiro says casually, hoping Matt will say something back like ‘not right now, I’m busy’ so Shiro can use it as an excuse to hold this conversation off longer. 

But instead, Matt’s head shoots up eagerly, like he’d been looking for a distraction from his homework. “Hey Shiro,” he says back, grinning. 

He needs to get this over with. Matt will understand. They can go back to being friends without any of the weirdness. 

Shiro lets out a breath. It’d be easy to avoid Matt’s gaze for this, but he does the opposite. “I know that you know that I like you,” Shiro says. He’s been waiting this long to say it, he might as well drop it all at once.

Matt’s eyes are wide, and his mouth is hanging slightly open, like he wants to say something, but no words are coming out. 

Shiro waits, waits for Matt to say something, but he doesn't say anything and Shiro’s heart is starting to beat a little too fast for his liking, so Shiro hops in to fill the silence. 

“That’s why you’ve been acting weird, because I like you. But I don’t want you to think things have to be awkward because of it. You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings by rejecting me or anything. I’ll get over it.” 

“Don’t get over it,” Matt says suddenly, and now Shiro’s the one at a loss for words. 

“What?”

“I wasn’t being weird because I knew you liked me,” Matt says, and now his mouth is pulling up in a smile and Shiro is trying to keep himself from getting hopeful. 

“Then why?” Shiro asks, a little breathless. 

“I mean—okay, it was kind of because you liked me, but not in the way you think. I just like, I couldn’t believe you actually liked me. You’re all smart and cool and I’m like a huge dork.” Matt pauses for a moment before going on, “And then I realized I liked you back, and I kept getting flustered. I didn't mean to act weird.” 

Shiro’s half convinced this is a dream he’s going to wake up from, that he must have fallen asleep while working, but nope, Matt is here, saying these things. 

_ Matt likes him.  _

“You like me?” Shiro asks, even though that’s exactly what Matt just said. He needs to hear it again. 

“Yes, Shiro. Yes, I like you.” 

Shiro smiles. “Holy shit.” 

Matt smiles back. “Pretty awesome, right?”

 

 

 

Matt starts coming over even when he doesn't have to, and that includes ‘accidentally’ falling asleep while doing homework. 

They’re not dating, but they're definitely  _ something _ , and for now, that’s enough.

 

 

 

“Let’s get coffee,” Matt says one morning, when Shiro still has bedhead. It takes him a moment to process Matt’s words. 

“Like… as a date?” Shiro asks, tentative. Hopeful. 

“Do you want it to be?” 

“Yes.” 

Matt grins, throwing a clean shirt in Shiro’s direction. “Then it’s a date. Now get up, you have class in thirty minutes.” 

Shiro glances at the clock on his phone to see that shit, Matt’s right, which means he overslept. 

“You’re lucky I’m here to wake you up,” Matt says with a smirk.

Shiro throws his pillow at Matt. “You’re the one who kept me up in the first place.”


End file.
